Player Updates

Bucannon signed a one-year contract, $2.5 million contract with the Buccaneers on Wednesday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Bucannon receives $1.45 million guaranteed according to Spotrac , making it a low-risk, one-year "prove it" type of contract for a young talent head coach Bruce Arians and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles are familiar with. The Bucs' new head man had a hand in making Bucannon a first-round pick out of Washington State in 2014, and Bowles directly oversaw the 26-year-old's transition from safety to linebacker as Arizona's defensive coordinator during Bucannon's rookie season. While Tampa has a significant need at linebacker in the wake of Kwon Alexander's departure to the 49ers via free agency, Smith notably mentions that Bucannon is likely to be used "in a variety of ways" under Bowles, including as a possible linebacker/safety hybrid on occasion.

The Buccaneers are expected to sign Bucannon, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Bucannon has familiarity with the Bucs' new coaching staff, having worked under Bruce Arians for his first four seasons and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles as a rookie in 2014. Those four campaigns marked Bucannon's most productive as a pro, as he ranged between 82 and 112 tackles each year. Under the one-year experiment that was Steve Wilks, though, Bucannon fell off a cliff, playing just 34.9 percent of the defensive snaps en route to 38 tackles. Bucannon will hope for a revival as he mans the dollar linebacker position in Bowles' scheme.

Bucannon (chest) is listed as questionable for Sunday's matchup with the Falcons, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports

Bucannon practiced in a limited capacity each day this week. The Washington State product has missed the last three games with this injury. If Bucannon isn't able to play, Zeke Turner would likely see an increase in work.